


The Life and Death of Estella Stroud: Part One

by lacewing33



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Marauders' Era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-03
Updated: 2018-08-03
Packaged: 2019-06-19 21:26:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15518919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lacewing33/pseuds/lacewing33
Summary: This is the story of Estella Stroud and her twin sister, Ariella. Daughters of a long line of pure-blood wizards, each will face different challenges at Hogwarts and after, as the Wizarding World prepares for the First War against the Dark Lord. Estella especially will need to come to terms with her role and that of her friends and sister. (Ellie is the main OC; 1st posted on FF.net)





	The Life and Death of Estella Stroud: Part One

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome! This is a story I started several years ago on FF.net. I've been experiencing a bit of writer's block and decided that reposting what I have with updates will help. This is a two part story, the first part being a little over 40 chapters.
> 
> Disclaimer: As always, the Harry Potter universe is the property of JK Rowling. 
> 
> Please review or follow or just say hello!

**June 1971**

It took Estella Stroud a while to realize that she was the evil twin. Her mother had always told her so when she was younger, at least, she'd harped on her desire that Ellie be more like her sister, Ariella. Sit still like your sister, be quiet like your sister, use your brain like your sister - from the very start it was made clear to Ellie that she was the crazed stupid twin with a debilitating need for attention. And she was fine with that. Set the bar low, she figured. Besides, Ellie had absolutely no aspiration to be like Ari. No, as much as she loved her, Ellie and Ari were two entirely separate people and that suited them just fine. Nonetheless, that didn't stop Ellie from getting both her and her sister in trouble from time to time. 

"Ellie, this is a bad idea!" Ari whispered.

She rolled her eyes. "No, Ari, this is a _good_ idea."

"Any idea that ends with us in trouble with Mother and Father is a _bad_ idea."

"If you don't shut up," Ellie gritted the words between her teeth, "you'll _make_ this a bad idea. Now shush!"

"But I—" Ellie threw a hand over her twin's mouth. After all her efforts, she was not going to let Ari's blathering get them caught. There was a limited window for success, and she was going to continue on with or without Ari's help.

 "Shut up and follow me," Ellie whispered.

Being the more troublesome of the two, Ellie was naturally the leader in any nefarious activities the girls were involved in. Ari was much more shy and well-manned, easily persuaded by her sister into following along with her plans. In the last month alone, they had been grounded more days than not. Ellie had convinced Ari to help her jinx the House Elf, kill all of her mother's roses, and charm the doorbell to fart when anyone pushed it.

Needless to say, journeying into the kitchen in the middle of the night to steal a freshly baked lemon tart the house elf made earlier that afternoon, was not the most brilliant idea. But, you hadn't had dessert until you'd tasted Tippy's lemon tart. Sour, creamy, with a delicious flaky crust, it was well worth any reprimand from Mrs. Stroud. At least, Ellie thought so. 

The manor was dark as Ellie and Ari crept down the stairs to the first floor. A loud creak causing Ellie's head to swiveld to her twin. 

"Sorry," Ari mouthed. They continued their trek. 

In the drawing room, a faint humming stopped the girls in their tracks. Ellie signaled her sister, and both dove behind the sofa. Peering over the edge, Ellie squinted into the dark room for the source of the noise. 

At the other end of the large room, Tippy was scrubbing the fireplace, humming softly to herself. This was brave, Ellie thought, considering her Mother had hit the elf on many occasions for this offense. Ellie crawled back to her sister's hiding place and shooed her on; her Mother might have been horrible to Tippy, but Mrs. Stroud was the first person she would run to if she saw the girls out of bed.

When they finally got to the the kitchen door, Ellie opened it as softly as she could and gestured her sister to go in ahead of her. Her eyes followed her twin's platinum blonde head in the darkness. 

"Do you see it?" she whispered.

Ari scanned the room until her eyes landed on a serving tray next to the sink. Letting out a excited gasp, finally realizing that this venture was well worth the danger, she turned her head towards her sister with wide eyes and nodded as a grin overtook her face. Ellie smiled and rushed over to join her. She peeled back the wrappings and took two pieces, one for each her and Ari. Handing one to her sister, Ellie opened her mouth to take the first bite, her plan to steal the whole thing back to their bedroom after the first piece. At least, that was her plan until the kitchen lights came on.

"Estella! Ariella! What exactly do you think you're doing?" Squealing, Ellie lost her grip on her piece of lemon tart and watched as it fell to the floor. Mournfully, she looked in to the angry eyes of her mother.

Mrs. Stroud was a beautiful woman. Her hair was long and blonde with small waves framing her face. Crystal blue eyes, which never seemed to soften, were her most striking feature. Petite and pale, Lorella Stroud was the epitome of a pureblood house wife. Ellie couldn't tell you what made her mother the way she was. Their conversations never ventured beyond clothes and reprimands. All she knew was that despite the obvious resemblance between Lorella and her daughters, the three could not be more different in temperament. 

Knowing this, Ellie took a daring step towards her enraged mother.

"It was my idea, Mother. I made Ari come with me," she said boldly.

Ignoring her, Mrs. Stroud grabbed each girl by the arm and pulled them from the kitchen. Ellie cast one last longing look towards her fallen piece of lemon tart before following her ranting mother.

"Don't presume that you can keep your sister from punishment, Estella. She is just as guilty as you. Maybe one day she will stop agreeing to your harebrained ideas." Ellie looked to Ari, who just shrugged her shoulders, and doubted very much that would ever happen. Lorella dragged the twins into their room and deposited each girl onto her own bed.

"Stay here while I go get your father." Their mother slammed the door shut behind her.

Ellie and Ari exchanged looks with one another. After eleven years, they were used to their parents' punishments. It happened at least once a week—either the girls were forced to miss supper or they weren't allowed out of their room for the day. When father got really angry (like after the doorbell incident) the girls were sometimes yanked around roughly enough to leave bruises, or have a switch pulled on them. Having grown up in the pureblood lifestyle, this was typical. The twins were expected to behave a certain way, something Ellie - and by extension Ari - were usually not inclined to do.

They sat of the edge of their beds, Ari with a trembling mouth and Ellie already thinking of how to get back into the kitchen. 

"Hey!" she said suddenly, visibly perking up, "do you think they have lemon tart at Hogwarts?"


End file.
